The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
by devonm0
Summary: You thought you knew the tale? Well what if what you know is just one way of telling it? A re-imagining of the timeless story of the Hero of Time. Link's parents survive, he and Zelda band together with the common man to stand against the King of Evil, and various other differences as well.
1. Prologue

Refuge

Ages ago in a country long forgotten, there were many legends and tales. Among the most famous is that of the rise of the King of Thieves to power over the entire nation, as well as his downfall at the hands of two very special children. These 'children of destiny' embarked on separate journeys to overcome various hardships; or at least that's how the most widely accepted telling of the story goes. However, there is another...one that describes the children of destiny as a rallying force for the ordinary citizens who, together, were able to make a difference in the fight against the villain. Like every other incarnation of this timeless legend, the story begins on a grim and fateful night.

In the midst of a terrible war, a mother flees alongside her young, blonde-haired blue eyed son. They are being hunted by a mysterious and terrible creature in heavy armor, serving under the command of a despicable villain. As they run, the mother is well aware of the fact that she can not outrun the horse that the creature rides. That being so, she turns to face the mounted threat, choosing to fight so that her boy has a chance to escape.

"Link, run!" The mother desperately cries out. In response, the confused, scared boy whimpers. When the mother doesn't hear the footfalls of her son fleeing, she reiterates,

"Now! I mean it! Run!" Link still doesn't move. Having turned to look at his mother, he comes face-to-face with the pursuer, and freezes in fear.

"Link!" The mother yells, tilting her head to look at her son. At that moment, the monstrosity on horseback readies its mighty ax to strike. The mother braces herself, holding Link close as the attack closes in...an attack that never reaches them. When Link's mother opens her eyes, a familiar knight on horseback is what greets them. He uses his own weapon to fend off that of the being that had been chasing Link and his mother. The knight looks at Link and smiles before lowering his visor.

"My son." He says solemnly. "Take care of your mother. Seek refuge in the Forest of Fairies." Link looks at the knight, his own father, and tries to approach his horse as he cries,

"Daddy!" The knight shakes his head, however, and as he brings his steed to rear he says, "There's no time Link. Go. Do it for me." Link sheds a tear, but no more after hearing his father say,

"Take her to the forest! As a child, you should be able to find the way! I leave her in your capable hands Link!" Instead of more crying, Link gives an 'okay', and takes his mother's hand before running into the distance. His father, meanwhile, whispers,

"Good luck kid." Before spurring the horse on into the fray once more. That is the last anyone saw of that brave knight. Meanwhile, Link guides his mother along a path that he somehow knows. A path engraved in his soul. It leads them, unimpeded, to the edge of the Forest of Fairies, a place long held as forbidden to outsiders. The edge of the forest was formidable enough to look at, but neither Link nor his mother was to turn back at this point. To do so would be a disgrace to the knight's efforts. No, they press into the forest, readying for whatever would be waiting...


	2. Chapter 1

Memory

"Absolutely not! I will not have thy presence corrupting the purity that is the Kokiri Forest! Leave at once!" The Deku Tree, the guardian spirit of the Forest of Fairies, remains unyielding in his decision. Pleading further would amount to nothing, the woman knows, and yet...

"What am I supposed to do? If we leave, those who seek us will surely find us! Please, o' great spirit! I implore you, be reasonable!" The Deku Tree hears the mother's plight. For certain, they have come a long way seeking a haven. However,

"I will not move on my decision. Forgive me, but on this matter there is naught I can do. The forest children rely on my protection, and that sacred duty is my greatest priority. So, I'm sorry but thou must leave at once. Thy child is welcome to stay, being so young, but for ye I can make no exception." Link's mother sighs, then clenches her fists and says,

"Alright." She looks at Link, then kneels down in front of him and tells him, "Stay in the forest, Link. You'll be safe here," Link is uncertain of why his mother is telling him this, but he nods, if only to see her smile. She does, but then she leaves without a word. Watching her for a moment, Link starts to follow, but remembering her words he stays where he is.

The woman leaves the forest as she was instructed to, and almost immediately is ambushed from underground by a fearsome skeletal warrior. Surprised by the monster's emergence, she is caught off guard and easily tripped before she even knows what happened. She gasps as the skeleton swings its jagged, blood red sword, and pulls out an ornate dagger with a red stone set into the guard. She tries to use it to defend herself, however the instant it is drawn, the monster's sword connects with it and it is knocked from her hand and past the border of the forest. Gritting her teeth, she can't help thinking of her young son as she feels her end drawing nigh. She screams and at the same time a flock of birds is startled, taking flight into the distance. As for the woman, no body is found.

Link looks away from the Deku Tree toward the direction in which his mother had run, his eyes glistening with the start of tears and his blonde hair blowing over his right eye as his head turned. Shedding a single tear, he whispers,

"Mommy...", and then kneels down to cry some more. Despite the Deku Tree's adamant decision, he is not one to leave a crying child to his own devices. He uses some magic to block memories of his parents; it is all he can do, but he knows too well that it will not shield him from the truth for long. Link may come to hate him, but what he has done he does for the good of the land. As a child of destiny, the boy's trials have already begun. He must learn the full extent of his power and resources, and the Deku Tree believes that being on his own will provide Link with ample time to experience it for himself.

Link falls unconscious, at which point the Deku Tree summons Saria to his grove. Upon her arrival, she sees Link. Always a compassionate girl, Saria rushes to his side out of concern. Reassuringly, the Deku Tree tells her,

"He is fine. Saria, I entrust his care to you. Show him the ways of the forest, but don't get too attached. This boy is too important." The green haired girl tilts her head to the side, then gasps before asking,

"You don't mean...is he really?" The Deku Tree gives an affirmative grunt, to which Saria says,

"Okay. You can count on me, O' Great Deku Tree." Once again an affirmative grunt; all the signal she needs to take Link out into the village. She takes him to her hut, choosing to provide him with lodging until she can figure out a good place to have a house of his own built. As Saria enters her hut with Link in tow, Mido just happens to be walking by. Seeing a shadow moving inside the house of his self-proclaimed girlfriend, the snobby leader of the Kokiri tribe investigates. What he finds surprises and greatly displeases him.

"W-who's that Saria? What's that little runt doing in your bed?" He asks, wondering what sorts of dark secrets Saria has been hiding from him. Shaking his head furiously, he then continues in what sounds like disgust, "You know what, I don't think I want to know!" Saria turns to Mido with her hands on her hips and a scowl on her face, and tells him,

"Well Mido, even though it's really none of your business, this boy is a new member of the village." Mido stares in shock for several moments before asking,

"W-what? W-wait, I don't approve of this! You can't just bring some no-fairy foreigner in here behind my back!" Saria steps toward Mido with a strange smile on her face. The smile seems strangely...eerie. Placing a hand on Mido's shoulder, Saria says,

"Don't worry, it's under control. It was the Great Deku Tree that gave permission anyway. I don't have to worry about going behind your back because your word against it doesn't mean a thing." Her eyes turn scary, startling and frightening Mido as she continues to say, "Now do me a favor and go home. The boy needs his rest." Mido gives a frightened nod before slinking off, and then Saria turns to Link and says, "Pleasant dreams boy. I'll check up on you in a while." With that she exits the hut, looking for any sign that Mido might be waiting for her to leave. Finding none, she continues to collect forest fruit, nuts, and herbs.


End file.
